My wife and I have traded stories back and forth about little sayings we grew up with—turns of phrase or nuggets of wisdom passed on by our parents. For instance my dad drilled if you’re not early, you’re late into me—to my wife’s chagrin all these years later as I beg and urge her to put her makeup on in the car, only for us to arrive at various social engagements far too soon to be cool. Another one my mom often said, in regards to traveling, was why walk in the rain at home when you can walk in the rain in Paris?—her justification for traveling in the off season.
My wife’s mother had her own pearls of wisdom. One such was pretty goes with pretty. She shepherded three teenage daughters through myriad fashion crises with such a simple rule of thumb. When my wife first said it to me, its full meaning instantly knocked me over. So obvious, yet I'd never heard it articulated so simply before. It was like a new world had opened. I felt freer! In matters of fashion, arguably—but the rule applies to so much more. Pretty goes with pretty, smart goes with smart, good goes with good, and so on, what have you. The point is having confidence in your own taste.
Which brings us to the new blog. I’ve been weighing whether or not to do the blog thing for a while now. I spend enough time on the web bullshitting as it is, so that wasn’t the trouble. But all the best blogs are Fill-in-the-Blank Blogs. Book blogs, movie blogs, art blogs, architecture blogs, design blogs. I couldn’t hope to contribute something so specific yet still offer content you just couldn’t do without. That’s what kept me on the fence.
But you know what? Pretty goes with pretty. And so we arrive at my new venture here on the interweb. A cynic might call the coming content unfocused or aimless, but I hope you’ll see connections for yourself, find new things you didn’t know you were looking for. Perhaps if you like my taste in music and film, you’ll click a link on design or literature. Perhaps you’ll leave a comment on a post about art that points me to something in the world of science or architecture.
If anything, the driving force behind this blog is a testament to the wisdom of mothers-in-law. For what it’s worth, my own mother’s advice on travel had its own effects as well.
Comments